Orfeo 55
© Vincent Catala
About
Founded in 2009 by Nathalie Stutzmann, the Orfeo 55 ensemble fulfilled one of the oldest dreams of the Frech Artist. With this project, aside from leading a brilliant career as a contralto, and more recently as an ever-more-acclaimed guest conductor, Nathalie Stutzmann digests twenty-five years of career and a whole life dedicated to music in contact with the greatest musicians and conductors with whom she regularly worked: from Herbert von Karajan to Simon Rattle or Seiji Ozawa, among others, but also leading figures of Baroque music such as John Eliott Gardiner, Marc Minkowski, etc.
At the head of Orfeo 55, she imposes the musical rigour, expressive freedom and emotional intensity that forged her reputation as a singer and conductor. Although Vivaldi, Bach, Handel and Pergolèse do hold a central place in the ensemble’s programmes, Nathalie Stutzmann doesn’t mean to restrict her repertoire to the Baroque period. Indeed, the musicians of the ensemble practise both Baroque and modern instruments, which allows them to tackle the most diverse repertoires while adapting their instruments with the greatest flexibility.
A multifaceted ensemble, Orfeo 55 adapts its personnel to each specific piece. Each musician of the ensemble is hired individually based on his musical and technical skills, his musical criteria, his flexibility and integration to the spirit of the ensemble.
Orfeo 55 likes to offer a very personal view of the works Nathalie Stutzmann is truely passionate about, to share them in interpretations that favour the greatest expressivity, sensual colours, both vocal and instrumental, and round, warm tones suited to big, modern concert halls such as the Arsenal de Metz, where Orfeo 55 is a resident.
Building on the intense work accomplished in merely more than a year, Orfeo 55 has already established itself centre stage, performing in all the capitals of Europe, before touring in the United States and Japan during the 2012-2013 season.